How can multiple field sorting be implemented in MySQL using the order by clause?

In MySQL, you can sort by multiple fields by listing them in the ORDER BY clause separated by commas.

For example, if there is a table named “employees” with fields “first_name” and “last_name”, you can use the following statement to sort by the “last_name” field and then by the “first_name” field when the “last_name” values are the same.

SELECT * FROM employees
ORDER BY last_name, first_name;

This will be sorted in ascending order according to “last_name,” and in case of a tie, it will then be sorted in ascending order by “first_name.”

To sort in descending order, you can add the “DESC” keyword after the field name. For example, to sort by “last_name” in descending order and then by “first_name” in ascending order, you can use the following statement:

SELECT * FROM employees
ORDER BY last_name DESC, first_name;

This will sort in descending order by “last_name”, and if “last_name” is the same, it will then sort in ascending order by “first_name”.